An RCMP cruiser. Image: staff photo
RCMP in Halifax are warning seniors about an ongoing series of scams.
They say fraudsters pretending to be police or a lawyer are calling seniors saying a relative has been arrested and needs bail money.
A fake bail bondsman is then sent to the victim’s address to collect the cash.
Victims have been scammed out of between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars.
Police are looking to identify a person who may be involved in the scams. Photos of the person and they vehicle they used, a 2019 Toyota Corolla, can be found below.
The RCMP are out with the following tips to avoid being defrauded:
- Fraudsters create a sense of urgency – slow things down reach out to other relatives and review the situation together, contact authorities if need be.
- If you still believe the caller then contact the authority represented through their legitimate contact source eg. website or phonebook that you have located and not provided to you by the contactor.
- Attempt to contact the family member in question.
- Do not send money, gift cards, Bitcoin or anything else of value in “urgent situations”.
- Don’t drop your guard because the number on your caller ID looks familiar or legitimate. Scammers can spoof tel #’s and make it appear they are calling from a trusted source.
- If you have a feeling that something is not right, it is best to trust your gut and stop communicating with that person. If in doubt, hang up or delete and do not continue communication.
They say authorities in Canada do not solicit a release for cash or come to your door for cash.
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